MINNEAPOLIS – An Iowa man with a history of marijuana activism was charged in federal Court with threatening to “cause pain in every way possible” to a member Congress. The targeted U.S. representative was not identified in the criminal complaint. The message was left on lawmaker’s office phone on January 11, amid heightened concerns following the Trump mob attack on the Capitol. Arrested was Jason Robert Karimi, 32. The FBI traced the message to a cellphone in Karimi’s name. When contacted by the FBI in St. Paul, Karimi said: “Is this about the voicemails?” according to the complaint. He said intended “political pain,” not physical pain, and used the words he did to get attention. Karimi considers Iowa home but has been living with a friend temporarily in St. Paul. In Iowa he promoted marijuana policy on the website WeedPress. He considers himself a marijuana industry lobbyist.
Verbatim
Extracts from the voicemail: “I want to see you as scared as possible, terrified and shitting your pants. We’re coming for ya. We are going to cause you pain in every way possible. We’re going to end all political power you have, make it so you can’t even walk in anything but a wheelchair.”
Karimi. From Iowa but arrested St. Paul. Why was he in Minnesota? He said he was in transition and planning to move to South Dakota.